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Scripture and Sermon Notes

My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

Psalm 84 ESV -

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever singing your praise! Selah

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[b]
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
    they make it a place of springs;
    the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
    each one appears before God in Zion.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!

10 For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Psalm 27:4 ESV - 4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

Psalm 84:1 ESV - 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!

Psalm 84:4 ESV - 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!

Psalm 84:5 ESV - 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

Psalm 84:12 ESV - 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Four Expressions of Worship in the House of God

1. The Longing

Psalm 84:1 ESV - 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!

Psalm 84:2 ESV - 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Psalm 84:4 ESV - 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!

Psalm 22:3 ESV - 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

2. The Journey

Psalm 84:5-7 ESV - 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.

3. The Prayer

Psalm 84:8-9 ESV - 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!

1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV - 1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

4. The Privilege

Psalm 84:10 ESV - 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Psalm 84:11 ESV - 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

James 1:17 ESV - 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.